For DRIVERS, MECHANICS & FOREMEN,
Page 21
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A PRIZE OP TEN SItILLINGS is awarded each week to the tender of the best letter which we publish on this page; all others are paid for at the rate of a penny a line, with an allowance for photographs. All notes are edited before being Pub/is/tad Mention your employer's name, in confidence, as evidence of good faith. Address, D., M. and P„ "The Commercial Motor," 7-15, Rosebery Avenue, London, B.C. 1.
Lamps Alight.
On Saturday, August 2nd, light your lamps at 9.16 in London, 10.16 in Edinburgh, 9.36 in Newcastle, 9.36 in Liverpool, 9.25 in Birmingham, 9.26 in Bristol, and 10.19 in Dublin.
Fitting Tappet Guides with Stuffing Boxes.
The -sender of the following coMmunication has been awarded the 108. prize this week.
[1,997] " S.P." (Mirfiekl) writes :—" I have noticed on your D., M. and F.' pages of late one or two letters dealing with crankeaaes which give trouble owing to their exuding oil. The following, which relates an experience of mine on the same subject,may be of interest. About two years ago we had a Swiss Berna wagon in for repairs. Amongst other minor matters, the driver complained of oil leaking up the tappet guides. His engine was always unsightly, which was 'a grievance, quite apart from the fact that considerable wastage of oil reSulted. He, asked us to endeavour to rectify this matter, but on no account to delay the wagon for the job as it was very urgently required. The,following plan, which occurred to me as being the quickest and simplest way out of the difficulty, was tried and proved to be successful.
"I removed the eight tappet guides, and threaded the outside of the top of each to take a No. 2Btauffer grease-cup cover, ordinary cast-iron type. At the same time I bevelled the mouth of the hole in the guide, just as the interior of a stuffing box is made. Using one of the tappets as a jig, I drilled, each grease cup cover in the centre with a, hole just large enough to clear the tappet. I then replaced all the guides, fitting a felt ring in each on the top, and screwing the Stauffer grease caps down finger tight. It was my intention to fit a lockingdevice between. each pair of tappets to prevent the covers from slacking back, but time did not permit, and the wagon went out without that extra.
"I came across the driver of that wagon recently, and asked him how the device had worked. He said that he had not had the least trouble since, had not lost a drop of ail through the tappet guides,, and there was no tendency for the covers to slack back. I enclose a .sketch (which we have had redrawn.—En.), which will no doubt be of assistance in explaining my meaning."
A Ford Radiator Repair.
[1,999] " G.ILH," (Wendover) writes :—" The following description of an emergency repair to a. Ford radiator may interest your readers, particularly in view of the large number of Fords on the road, running both as vans, and converted into light lorries. The radiator was damaged as the result of a. collision, the towing hook of a wagon having penetrated it. As a result, several of the radiator fins, and three of the vertical tubes, were fractured to such an extent that the water in the radiator was quickly lost. The fins are attached horizontally ta the tubes, so that as a preliminary we stripped those from the broken tubes, and from one or two ofA the others adjacent, so as to render the fractured tubes accessible. The tubes were then separated at the fracture, the broken pieces looped back upon themselves, and the ends nipped tight. The radiator has been in use in that condition for some time with every success."
Surplus Stores Repairs.
[1,999] " F.D." (Wimbledon) writes :—" I have not Up to the present noticed any letters in your paper from drivers who are experiencing difficulties with lorries which have been bought by auction at the various sales of Government surplus stock which have been taking place recently. I feel sure, however, that such letters will presently be arriving, and hope you will accept this as the first, although it concerns but a minor difficulty.
"I am in charge of three Foden wagons. We have experienced difficulty with them in. all three cases, owing to the starting valves leaking. One was so bad that there was a risk of the engine starting with the valve apparently entirely closed, and in any case the high pressure steam cylinder glands were persistently leaking to such an extent that the driver finally complained. I therefore determined to tackle this particular example first and to see what I could make of it. I removed the cover of the valve chest, and then found that a liner which had been placed under the nut interfered with the closing of the valve on its seat, and the result of some months of use with it in this state had had the effect of spoiling the seating. I had none of the usual workshop apparatus for remedying 'a defect of this kind, and particularly did I feel the lack of a surface plate. However, I commenced operations by trimming down the offending liner so that it did not interfere again with the operation of the valve, I then carefully cleaned both valve and seat with coarse Carborundum, and afterwards gave the valve a good 'grinding on to its seat with some more of this mate: rial. I then thoroughly sluiced this off and recommenced the regrinding operations, using this time, however, a fine paste.
"The job, although not taking. anything so long as the old-fezhioned and customary method.of scraping and bedding.on to.surface plates, was nevertheless a very satisfactory one."